Lance
Burton's scheduled TV appearances for 2003 will include hosting
"The Science of Magic II" for the Discovery Channel and his own
special titled "Lance Burton: Guerrilla Magic: Taking it to the
Streets" which will be produced by George Ciccarone (Cathouse) for
the Animal Planet. Burton will also be featured on the new "Let's
Make a Deal" which is currently scheduled for five one-hour
primetime specials on NBC-TV.(12/2)

James Randi in a Belfast Telegraph article that looked
at his recent appearance on a Horizon television show that was
trying to collect on his million dollar challenge, "The conclusion
- whatever homeopathy does, plain water is just as effective as
those fancy mixtures on the herbalists shelves… Randi kept his
million dollars - and his reputation." To read the Dec. 1 article
by David Young titled "Taken with a large dose of salt" click:
HERE.(12/2)

James Randi in a Sunday Telegraph article which quotes
him about the recent expose of homeopathy, "They all recover from
facts… Reality is not something that bothers these people for very
long." To read the Dec. 1 article by Lorraine Fraser titled "These
people have been duped From the royal family to show business,
homeopathy has long had its celebrated adherents. But now its
claims have been conclusively discredited" supplied by Infoseek
and YellowBrix click:
HERE.(12/2)

Magician Rick Smith Jr. in a Plain Dealer feature that
reported, "Smith, who can throw a playing card farther than anyone
in the world, may soon show off his magic on the 'The Tonight
Show' with Jay Leno, the 'Late Night Show' with David Letterman
and 'Late Night with Conan O'Brien.' To read the Dec. 1 article by
Jesse Tinsley titled "Magician's calling card - the long toss"
click:
HERE.(12/2)

Caesars Magical Empire in Las Vegas has officially, and
finally, closed on November 30. As previously reported the on
again off again venue has been scheduled to be scraped many times
over the past few years but always managed to survive. In
September notice was given to the staff of the Nov. 30 closing.
The 40+ million dollar venue which opened in the summer of 1996
was profitable but with the upcoming opening of Celine Dion's show
at Caesars it was decided that the space could be better used. For
more information you can visit the Unofficial Caesars Magical
Empire site by clicking:
HERE.(12/3)

NEW YORK: Aaron Fisher presents his exclusive area
appearance on Friday Dec. 6 at 8pm for SAM Parent Assembly #1 at
the Soldiers, Sailors & Airmen's Club (283 Lexington Ave.) in New
York City. The event is the annual "Willie Schneider Memorial
Lecture" and is free to all members of SAM #1. An unprecedented
move by the organization is making the event open to non-member
magicians for $20 per person, which may be applied toward
membership dues if desired. Producer of the annual event is Meir
Yedid.(12/3)

Rick Smith Jr. who broke a card-throwing world record is
profiled in an Associated Press article that reported, "He has
since honed his sleight of hand, rubber-band tricks and ability to
leave people nearly cross-eyed as they try to keep up with the
number of foam balls appearing and disappearing from his hands."
To read the Dec. 2 article titled "Record card thrower gets
international attention" click:
HERE.(12/3)

Felix Snipes' "Magical Wonder-Full Week-Ends" is scheduled to
appear in Grayson, GA on Dec. 6-8. Admission is free. For more
information phone: 770-938-8073.(12/3)

Marc
Salem is about to complete a tour of performances at Universities
in England. He appeared at the Leeds University on Dec. 1,
Manchester/Cambridge University on Dec. 2, Birmingham University
on Dec. 3 and London University on Dec. 4. After a very brief
break Salem will open at the Sydney Opera House in Australia on
Jan. 7 where he will remain through the 28th and then off to
Melbourne where he will appear on Feb. 4-27 at the Malthouse
Theatre. After Australia he is scheduled to appear at the
Wintergarden in New Zealand.(12/4)

Sue-Anne Webster is interviewed in the Dec. 4 issue of the
Australian magazine "That's Life." The Q&A centers around her
relationship with her husband Tim Ellis. The article by Kate
Parson is titled "Sue-Anne reveals why her relationship is
magical.(12/4)

Johnny Hreha (Nov. 28, 1931-Dec. 1, 2002) who was known
as John Jay died on Sunday Dec. 1 at the age of 71. A Tacoma News
Tribune obituary reported that "There will be no services. Like
the New Zealand white rabbits he raised on the family farm in
Summit, Hreha preferred to pass on like any good magician, and
just disappear." To read the Dec. 3 obituary by Bart Ripp titled
"Tacoma's master of magic was also a master of fun" click:
HERE.(12/4)

Ricky Jay in a New York Times story that reports on his
recent talk about celluloid and Dice. To read the Dec. 3 article
by Sarah Boxer titled "Where a Film's Gooey Bits Are the Real
Showstoppers" click:
HERE.(12/4 -A members site.)

Nicholas Einhorn who just won The Magic Circle's
Close-up Magician of the Year 2002 is about to release his first
magic book for the general public. He and his book "The Art of
Magic and Sleight of Hand" are the subject of a Borehanwood Times
article. The story recounted, "Nicholas, who was inspired by a
magician at his fourth birthday party, has a reputation for
creating tricks, with some adopted by famous magicians like David
Copperfield and Paul Daniels." Speaking of the ethics of
explaining magic Einhorn said, "It is a kind of catch-22. If there
were no books telling people how to do magic, it would be
difficult for people to become interested in magic." To read the
Dec. 4 article titled "Nicholas' win is just magic" click:
HERE.(12/5)
--To buy the book click:
HERE.

David Blaine's book "Mysterious Stranger" is reviewed in
the Buffalo News where they observe, "This wonderfully designed
and lavishly illustrated book is a good deal of fun on its own.
Scratch any magician, it seems, and you will almost invariably
find a happy scholar -- a deeply devoted student of the history of
his craft as well as a nicely remunerated practitioner." To read
the Dec. 1 review by Jeff Simon titled "Editor's Choice" supplied
by Infoseek and Yellowbrix click:
HERE.(12/5)
--To buy the book click:
HERE.

Penn Jillette is scheduled to co-star, as an actor, in
"The Exonerated" on Broadway during the last week in January. A
United Press International article reported that "It is reportedly
the real-life story of six men on death row. Others in the cast
include Rob Morrow and Mary Steenburgen." To read the Dec. 4
article by Dennis Daily titled "From the Life & Mind Desk" click:
HERE.(12/5)

Rich Cook Jr. who performs under the name Harry Hoyle is
featured in a Tampa Bay Tribune which reports on his current job
in a family business. To read the Dec. 4 article by Geoff Fox
titled "Magician Leaves Stage For Family" click:
HERE.(12/5)

David Copperfield spends the rest of the month in Canada and
then closes of the year in Las Vegas. He will be at the Northern
Alberta Jubilee Auditorium in Edmonton on Dec. 6-8, The Saskatoon
Centennial Auditorium in Saskatoon on Dec. 9, the Saskatchewan
Centre of the Arts in Regina on Dec. 10-11, and the Queen Elizabeth
Theatre in Vancouver on Dec. 13-15. Copperfield will then appear at
the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Dec. 24-30.(12/5)

Ayala
and Tanya are featured in "WOW! A Holiday Follies Spectacular" at
the Carousel Dinner-Theater in Akron, Ohio where they are presenting
a portion of their "Magical Passion" show. An Akron Beacon Journal
review described them as "This dynamic couple has a wonderful
energy. This mischievous Mexican Illusionist and his ultra sexy
assistant, kick off Las Vegas acts, dressed in leather, capes and
masks." The show runs through January 12. For tickets and
information click:
HERE.(12/6)

David Blaine answers questions from the readers of The
Independent where one questioner asked, "Have you ever used drugs
to help you during your stunts?" Blaine kiddingly answered "Just
Viagra." To read the Dec. 5 Q&A titled "David Blaine: You ask the
questions" click:
HERE.(12/6)

Nicholas Night & Kinga, Hans Klok, The Majestix, Marco
Tempest, and Peter Marvey appeared on the Raiuno - Italian
National Television - Telethon 2002 "Et Voilà." Stefano Pascale
was the magic consultant for the show which aired on this
week.(12/6)

David Blaine's trip to a London casino is reported in
The Belfast News Letter which also gives a brief biography of
Blaine and quotes him about his upcoming stunt. To read the Dec. 5
article titled "Blaine opens his box of magic tricks" supplied by YellowBrix and Infoseek click:
HERE.(12/6)

Matt Jarman who is a magician who has taken up Hypnotism
is featured in the Daily Bruin where he is quoted, "I started
learning hypnosis because I heard it could help with school work.
After doing it more often, I thought it could be added to my magic
as a stage act. I like hypnosis because some of the things you can
make people do are really incredible." To read the Dec. 5 article
by Jessica Chung titled "Student hypnotist dazzles subjects,
audience" click:
HERE.(12/6)

David Blaine had previously optioned his life story to
Robert DeNiro's production company. The movie project was on hold
until recently when a Sky News article reported that "Robert De
Niro has bought the option on his life story and plans to start
production within the next six months... David also revealed that
he will be playing himself in certain areas of the film." To read
the Dec. 6 article by Neil Sean titled "Kate Set For Gypsy Role"
click:
HERE.(12/7)

David Copperfield has renamed his "Portal" show to "An
Intimate Evening Of Grand Illusion" as he begins his tour through
Canada. An Edmonton Journal article quotes Copperfield about his
show, "It's like repertory theatre; it just keeps evolving." His
new routines are also mentioned, "Winning the lottery will, he
says, 'take a quarter of the show and involve half the audience.'
The evening also includes new illusions, with Copperfield walking
through a steel wall, and channelling his energy through a deadly
Black African scorpion." To read the Dec. 6 article by Liz
Nicholls titled "Beyond imagination" click:
HERE.(12/7)

David Copperfield in a Star Phoenix article relates that
"He'd like to be remembered 'for making magic emotional, telling
stories with it, taking it to a new level.'" To read the Dec. 6
article by Cam Fuller titled "Reviving the 'magic'" click:
HERE.(12/7)

David
Ben's new show The Conjuror begins a month long run at Isabel Bader
Theatre (93 Charles Street West) in Toronto, Canada. Ben explains
that, "I’ve really tried to capture the influence that classic
turn-of-the-century magicians have had on my professional training.
By adding new reconstructions of rarely seen feats, I will re-create
for audiences the greatest illusions from the 20th century." Some of
the classic illusions performed include: The Blooming Rose Bush, Okito's Floating Ball, Sebit's Sawing In Two, Robert Houdini's An
Aerial Suspension, and Spirit Paintings. The show is directed by
Patrick Watson. The Conjuror opened on Dec. 4 and is scheduled to
run through Jan. 5, 2003. For tickets and information phone:
416-597-0965 or click:
HERE.(12/8)

Muhammad Ali was described performing magic in an
Associated Press article, "Like a kid who had just pulled a fast
one, Ali glowed. The magic tricks, so much a part of his
repertoire in the days when he proclaimed himself The Greatest,
are still a fascination for him. …Now again. Here's the cloth.
Here's the fist. Abracadabra! It's gone. …Ali's poker face broke
into a grin." To read the Dec. 7 article by Hal Bock titled "Ali
still has knack for entertaining" click:
HERE.(12/8)